1. Generic Fixes

Let’s try some generic fixes first before moving to the technical ones. Here are some of the simple things you can try with your iPhone to fix the trouble connecting to Wi-Fi.

Turn On and Off the Airplane Mode

To turn on the Airplane Mode, go to Settings > Airplane Mode (turn the toggle on). Wait for one or two minutes, and then turn it off. Or, you can also swipe down from the right side of your iPhone to access the Control Center and then tap on the Airplane Mode icon. Again wait for a couple of minutes and then turn it off. It sometimes gives a little kick to the existing network settings.

Restart Your iPhone

If the Airplane Mode isn’t working, you should try restarting your iPhone. Sometimes, if the iPhone is up and running for a long time, the modems get heated and it reflects poorly on the network. So proper rest can work sometimes in case your iPhone is struggling to connect to Wi-Fi. Follow these steps to restart your iPhone.

  1. Hold down the Side button + Volume up button for a couple of seconds.
  2. Swipe the button across path saying slide to power off. Keep your iPhone off for a couple of minutes.
  3. Hold the Side button for a couple of seconds to turn it back on. Now you can try connecting to the Wi-Fi, and it should work.

Forget and Re-Join the Wi-Fi Network

If your iPhone is still having trouble connecting to the Wi-Fi on iOS 16, forgetting and re-joining a Wi-Fi network can help. To do so on your iPhone, open Settings on your iPhone and follow these steps.

  1. Tap on Wi-Fi.
  2. Tap on the network you want to forget.
  3. Now tap on Forget This Network.
  4. A pop-up menu will appear on the screen, tap on Forget to confirm.
  5. Now tap on the same Wi-Fi network on the Wi-Fi page.
  6. Enter the password and tap on Join.

Check Your Router/Wi-Fi Plan

If there’s no problem with your iPhone then try checking your router. If possible, try turning it off for a couple of minutes and then turn it back on. You can also check if there’s an active internet connection or not for your router. If you’ve already gone through these fixes and can still not access the Wi-Fi on your iPhone properly then let’s move on to some other fixes.

2. Turn Off Private Relay/VPN

Are you connected to Private Relay or a VPN on your iPhone? If yes, then this may be the reason for iOS 16 not connecting to the Wi-Fi network. Let’s take a look at the steps to turn off the Private Relay and then we’ll move on to how to disconnect the VPN on your iPhone. To turn off the Private Relay go the Settings > Apple ID/Name > iCloud > Private Relay > Private Relay (turn the toggle off). To disconnect a VPN on your iPhone:

  1. Open Settings and tap on General. Pro Tip: You can also tap on the VPN toggle to disconnect as soon as you open the Settings app. But if it’s not showing over there then please follow along.
  2. Now tap on VPN & Device Management.
  3. Tap on VPN.
  4. Tap on the toggle next to Status to turn the VPN off.

3. Turn off Location for Networking Services

Sometimes, the networking services along with the location services combined go haywire with an update of iOS. In that case, turning off location services might help you with your iPhone not connecting to Wi-Fi issues on iOS 16. Follow these steps to turn off the Location for network services.

  1. Open Settings > Privacy & Security.
  2. Tap on Location Services next.
  3. Now tap on System Services.
  4. Turn off the toggle next to Networking & Wireless.
  5. Tap on Turn Off.

4. Leaving the iOS Beta Profile

If you’re a Beta iOS user, then this also might be the root cause for the iOS not connecting to the Wi-Fi. The beta version of iOS usually comes with early access to new features along with the bugs. In that case, leaving the iOS Beta profile would be a good solution to try. To do so, go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management > iOS Beta (under CONFIGURATION PROFILE) > Remove Profile. Once you’ve successfully left the Beta iOS profile, go to Settings > General > Software Update and update with the stable iOS version. This should help you get your Wi-Fi issue resolved.

5. Resetting Network Settings

With some iOS updates, network settings might face distress. In order to fix or troubleshoot the network setting on your iPhone after upgrading to iO 16: Note: When you reset network settings, iPhone will forget all Wi-Fi networks and their passwords and you will have to reconnect and re-enter them again.

  1. Open the Settings app and tap on General.
  2. Tap on Transfer or Reset iPhone to begin.
  3. Now tap on Reset.
  4. Tap on Reset Network Settings to proceed further.
  5. Enter your iPhone’s passcode/password.
  6. Again tap on Reset Network Settings to confirm the reset. Now your phone will restart with the reset network settings and should be able to connect to the Wi-Fi properly.

Don’t Let Wi-Fi Hold You Back

After going through the above fixes, you should be able to use your Wi-Fi on iOS or iPhone in no time. If you’re still struggling, we would suggest you wait for the next iOS update. Apple usually addresses an issue with a fix in the next update as quickly as possible. This has been a common thing with iOS users. I hope this article was helpful to you. Are you reading this on Safari? Learn how to enable Reader View (Mode) in Safari on iPhone, iPad, and Mac.